


Saint James

by Forgetticus



Series: Alignment [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animagus, Boys Being Boys, Fights, Hurt/Comfort, James Potter - Freeform, M/M, Marauders, Marauders Friendship, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Werewolf Remus Lupin, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2019-01-15 12:27:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12321072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Forgetticus/pseuds/Forgetticus
Summary: This is part of a collection of separate drabble stories that document the life and times of Moony, Padfoot, Wormtail and Prongs.Sirius plays a thoughtless trick on Snape, and James runs off to make sure that the joke isn't on them.'“Did I kill him?” Remus asked quietly.'





	Saint James

**Author's Note:**

> There are times when these stories overlap. Some form a retelling of how Snape finds out that Remus has his 'furry little problem'. 
> 
> Some are about friendship. Most are about Remus and Sirius. 
> 
>  
> 
> Enjoy.

  
  


James was a strong runner. He put his long, lean legs to work and covered the distance from the greenhouses to the willow in what felt like a few easy strides. 

 

To his relief, he caught up with Snape midway through the tunnel to the shrieking shack. 

 

James grabbed Snape’s shoulder and did his best impression of someone who gave a shit whether Snape lived or died, but clearly, he wasn't being convincing enough. 

 

“I'm telling you, we have to leave. It's too dangerous.” 

 

“Why? Don't want me to know the truth? I know he's here!” 

 

James had to forcibly keep his eyes from rolling. 

 

On a primal level, James understood Sirius’s initial desire to give into Snape’s persistent stupidity; if he wanted to see a werewolf so badly, well by Glynnis, just fucking let him...and may he live to regret his decision to stick his huge nose into their business. 

 

But James knew that Sirius was too much a victim of his compulsive nature and too blinded by his feelings for Remus to take the scenario any further. 

 

Sirius’s rashness was something James loved about him; his friend was always ready to act, to lash out when any of them were threatened. It all stemmed from a protective instinct that Sirius lavished on his friends, having no outlet to express such sentiments in his own cannibalistic family. But James also saw how being raised by wolves had woven something dark into his best friend, left him with an unholy, tangled expanse on which to draw inspiration. You did  _ not _ want to find yourself the enemy of Sirius Black. 

 

Peter was generally supportive of Sirius’s darker impulses, Remus was the voice of reason who guided him towards the light, and James was happy to balance his friend by providing perspective and foresight... _ when _ Sirius included him in his scheming. 

 

If Sirius had the good sense to think this through a single step beyond teaching Snape a lesson, he would have seen that the real bearer of the consequences would be Remus. If it all went pearshaped…and it probably would...Remus would shoulder the guilt of killing another human being. Remus would be the one sent to Azkaban. Remus would be the one sentenced to death. 

 

James didn't really care if Snape got killed...he just couldn't let Remus to be the one who did it. 

 

“I’m trying to save your life,” James only half lied, gritting his teeth. 

 

But his words fell on deaf ears. Snape was looking past him now, eyes wide as saucers. Even living among real ghosts, James had never seen anyone go as white or bloodless as Snape. 

 

Hairs pricked up on the back of James’s neck and he turned slowly. It was too late. Snape would be getting what he wished for after all. 

 

Remus threw his head back and let loose a bitonal scream, his shoulders straining so far down that they looked unnatural, dislocated, and his ribs pulled so tight they might burst open. 

 

The shriek echoed painfully in the enclosed space, and James swore he could see tangible sound waves rippling out in the dim light, although he considered it may just be his brain rattling in his skull, confusing his eyes. 

 

Remus sucked back down all the air he expelled, heaving as spit frothed around his gums and over his lips. The top layer of soil muffled the sound of James adjusting his stance, his trainers sliding easily through the surface, fine as coffee grounds. 

 

Remus’s eyes flashed yellow and he bared his teeth, his jowls quivering around his exposed fangs. 

 

Then Remus let go; he flung his long, pendulous limbs into action, charging in a blind rage at Snape. 

 

“Run.”

 

James pushed past Severus, thrusting him towards the entrance of the tunnel where the whomping willow was actually the preferable plight to face.

 

His heart thrummed and James couldn't look back, he couldn’t go anywhere but forward. He steeled his nerves as he ran towards the manic, bounding werewolf. 

 

_ You can take him,  _ James reminded himself, rallying memories of the early days when their furry friend didn't quite trust them yet.

 

_ All right, Potter, let's see what you're made of.  _

 

Incase Snape was still somewhere behind him, James waited until the last possible moment to turn. He leap into the air as a man and smashed into Remus as a stag. 

 

The collision tumbled them together, sending them flying into the mud walls. Snarls and growls filled the passage as each teenage boy fought viciously to dominate the other. James kept trying to use his weight to pin Remus, block his path, or just slow him down enough to force him to take a breath. But Remus fought him recklessly to get to Snape, biting at his neck and tearing into his sides, far beyond the normal play fighting they often fell into. 

 

It didn't take much blood loss for James to acknowledge that fighting an irate werewolf in an enclosed space was a losing battle, so he decided to lure Remus out into the forbidden forest. 

 

It was frustrating that he couldn't see a way to calm his friend down; normally they communicated so well, but all he got off Remus was pure rage. It was never as easy as communicating with Sirius or Peter was… he could  _ speak  _ with them. But as a stag, he could  _ feel  _ Remus. It was a sense he couldn't describe or perceive as a human; the closest thing he could compare it to was an unusually clear gut feeling. 

 

He bolted up through the roots of the willow, Remus hot on his heels. James loved the feeling of sailing through the wind on his four legs, but he liked it more when he wasn't injured, and when he was running with Remus, not from him. 

 

The moon was incredibly bright, and the werewolf was insatiable in his anger. When Remus emerged from the trunk he let loose another earsplitting shriek and bounded towards the school, tracking Snape through the fog. James quickly doubled back to blindside Remus, slamming his antlers into his friend’s ribs with resounding force. 

 

The hit smashed Remus against a solid oak, shaking the entire tree. Remus cried out in pain and grappled with James, swiping at him wildly. 

 

Nearby creatures fled from the violence, giving them a wide margin to brawl; something James was getting desperate to avoid. Sharp nails dug into his back, tearing through his flesh and retching a sharp bay from his throat. James noted that Remus was no longer aiming for his jugular, and that was spectacular in itself, but it didn't stop him from reacting. He kicked away hard, his hooves connecting with Remus’s face and giving him time to put some distance between them. 

 

Since he couldn't calm Remus down or subdue him physically, James’s next best idea was to tire him out. It was something they had done countless times before when he was too restless or too upset to pacify. James zigzagged around the trees with Remus in tow, but his friends vicious claws were still getting too close for comfort. 

 

Adapting yet again, James ran him deep into the woods at an otherworldly pace; Remus was the strongest of them, but James was faster and had better stamina. He flew through the trees, heart pumping swift and steady, slicing through the forest until it was just a blur of brown, grey and green. 

 

He had no semblance of how much time passed. It wasn't until he registered an abundance of fluffy pines that he realized they were approaching the base of the once distant snow covered mountains. 

 

Shortly after the pines engulfed them, Remus whined from exertion and called out for him. 

 

James panted visible steam from his nostrils as he slowed and backtracked to answer his friends plea, approaching him very carefully. 

 

He could feel the change, feel that Remus was tired, sad, ready to seek the comfort of familiar sounds and smells. The ground was covered in a thick bed of soft needles and Remus dropped passively into it as James drew nearer. James nudged him with his nose and Remus crouched further into the pine, exposing his neck to James’s mouth, to his sharp teeth. It was an unmistakable gesture, recognized all across the animal kingdom. 

 

_ Here, you can kill me and I couldn’t do anything to stop you.  _

 

James acknowledged the parley and nibbled Remus affectionately in return. 

 

_ I won't hurt you. You can trust me.  _

 

They trotted back together, their pace nowhere near what it had been. Without the adrenaline to keep them going, the pair finally felt the injuries from their altercation, and limped the last hour of their journey. 

 

Once they got into their normal stomping ground, James smelled Sirius all over the the forest. He had been there only a few hours prior, crisscrossing every which way, probably looking for them. Remus perked up at the scent as well, but James kept them moving. They didn't have a lot of time. 

 

They just slipped inside the willow as the sun rose, Remus collapsing down the inner root structure as he transformed mid way. James turned and slid down the dirt after him. He propped himself against the sloping entrance and dragged Remus into his lap, supporting his head and shoulders. 

 

Warm beams of light filtered through the roots, illuminating the disturbed soil at the base of the entrance. James reflected for a moment on just how happy he was to see the sun. 

 

“Hey...you alright, Moony?” he asked, patting his friend. 

 

Remus ran a tentative hand over his bloody lip, and finally cupped his puffy left eye. 

 

“That was a rough one,” he croaked, curling in on himself. 

 

James assessed the damage in the light.

 

They always came back dirty, but rarely this bad. They were both covered head to toe in grime and dry blood, stuck with pine needles, sticks and blossoming with bruises. James’s back ached from the nights abuse, his shoulder especially raw. 

 

“Yup.” James agreed, picking the largest sticks out of Remus’s hair. As he did, he pressed his spine carefully into the cool mud wall, mindful not to wince or groan. 

 

“I guess our modeling careers are over.”

 

Remus coughed a laugh and held his sides gingerly. James patted his friend's shoulder and let his own head fall back. He felt Remus still under his fingers.

 

“Did I kill him?” Remus asked quietly. 

 

James was aware that his friend's memory of the night was clearest right after his transformation. It was usually Sirius who sat with Remus during the few moments that he was awake; James assumed their soft banter related to the time they spent off on their own while he and Peter got to rest. James also knew that over the course of the day, those memories faded away like a dream. 

 

“No, you didn't,” he reassured Remus. 

 

“Did I hurt  _ you _ ?” Remus asked, his voice even smaller. 

 

“Not even a little,” James lied. 

 

Remus managed to choke out the saddest laugh he had ever heard. 

 

“You know I hate when you lie to me like that,” he said groggily. 

 

“I resent that. I've never lied to you.” 

 

Remus shook through another tremor of dismal laughter, and held himself a little tighter. 

 

“Now, stop trying to stay awake. You need to get some rest,” James said, feeling the heaviness of his own eyelids. But he could handle one sleepless night a month; he always did. 

 

“Poppy will be here any minute,” Remus breathed. “You should stay if you're hurt.” 

 

James did not like staying to see Madame Pomfrey. He and Peter generally left before she came. It was another thing that Sirius usually handled; as far as James knew, the three of them had an understanding that encompassed too many unspoken things for him to feel at ease. James also was uncomfortable taking any of her attention away from Remus. 

 

“Chicks dig scars, Moony,” James reminded him. 

 

To his delight, a genuine laugh escaped Remus’s bloodied mouth. 

 

James smiled as he maneuvered Remus’s upper body off his lap and helped him against the wall. James loved Sirius and Peter, but Remus was probably the best man he knew. At the absolute worst of times, and they were many, Remus was only ever a wink or well placed joke away from being able to take a breath outside of his sadness. 

 

“Where's Sirius?” Remus asked softly, wincing slightly as he adjusted himself against the mud. 

 

“He was looking for us. He'll probably be by to see you in an hour or two.” 

 

Remus nodded, his eyes closing.

 

James prepared himself for the long walk back to the school. He bite his lip, rolled his shoulder and started to make his way up the root gnarled incline that led to the forest. He heard Remus shift behind him. 

 

“Thank you for stopping me, Prongs.”

 

James thought about telling Remus not to forget that he could still kick his ass, but he felt like that was pretty evident. 

 

He thought about joking that no one liked Snape anyway, but decided that would be in poor taste. 

 

He thought about admitting that it was a pretty close one, but it just made him mad at Sirius for being so stupid. 

 

Then he thought how Remus sometimes still felt like he was a danger to everyone, or worse, a burden. He thought about how if it weren’t for Remus, they would never be able to do any of this at all. 

 

“I’m always here for you, Moony. You’ll never have to face any of this alone.”

 

He cast a quick glance back at his friend, but Remus was already still and slack against the wall.

  
  


James endured the painstakingly slow climb out of the tunnel. 

 

When he emerged into sunlight he took a deep, invigorating breath. Autumn was omnipresent; the bright blue sky blustered over a perfect landscape of red, orange and brown leaves, the colors mixing together with every breath of wind. 

 

The way he ached was no match for how pleased he was with himself. He put one foot in front of the other, fueled entirely by a double dose of endorphins. His muscles tingled with the physical exertion of brawling and running all night, proving once again that at only sixteen he could handle a  _ werewolf _ . He also felt charged with overwhelming relief; he had made certain that the most gentle person he knew wouldn't be sent to Azkaban for murder. 

 

James limped twenty feet into the thick of the forest, lost in thoughts self congratulation. Then he collapsed from sheer exhaustion. 


End file.
